Public Education Funding

Proviso 1.3 of the FY 2025-26 budget required the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office (RFA) to review the State Aid to Classrooms (SATC) funding formula and consider feedback from relevant stakeholders.

SCASA was included in the relevant stakeholder group and submitted the linked document as part of the submission.

The suggested goals, concerns with the SATC funding formula, and proposed long-term solutions found in the white paper come from discussions with traditional school leaders, charter school leaders, and a comprehensive review of publicly available South Carolina education funding documents and data.

Our submission does not make any specific recommendations on raising or lowering weightings, but does address the internal mechanisms in the SATC formula and its impact on funding for traditional school districts and charter authorizers.

The document was intended for RFA review only—so it assumes in-depth knowledge of the funding formula and history of education funding in South Carolina. Since we have had several requests for our submission, we are posting publicly here. If you have any questions, please contact Quincie Moore (Quince@scasa.org) or Ryan Bailey (RyanB@scasa.org).

Language from the Proviso:

The South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office shall review the student weightings used in the State Aid to Classrooms funding formula and examine methods to improve the alignment of State Aid to Classrooms funding with student enrollment while ensuring districts and charter authorizers receive more consistent distributions. The agency must consider input from policymakers and relevant stakeholders as determined by the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. Any recommendations for changes to the formula must be submitted to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Governor, and the Superintendent of Education by December 1, 2025.